Now, veterans of Madden are probably thinking, "So what? That's been in the game for a while now." They're exactly right, because the stutter step has been around for sometime now; apparently, it's been codified into the game system. While it's nice to see the acknowledgement, it would've been much better to see something different for gameday situations. Similarly, you'd hope that there was greater depth to the defense, but there really isn't. The addition of team specific playbooks is nice, and fleshes out various schemes for defenders, but that's a minor addition to play. Something that Madden NFL 07 could've really benefited from would've been the ability to jump the snap to get into the backfield. While NCAA 07 features this potentially series changing move, the pro game lacks this move, which isn't realistic. There are plenty of defensive backs and linemen that attempt to anticipate and jump the count, and this year's game could've seriously used it. As it is now, it's essentially the same game as last year, although the game loads and plays much faster - unlike last year's game that would take up to a minute to load, this year's Madden easily starts in half the time.

This means that many of the bugs and glitches that you've probably become accustomed to from last year are still around. Cutscenes still have a stuttering hitch every now and then during playback. Players will still have blatant animation issues, like having the animation of a quarterback's arm throwing to the right side of the field and the ball accurately being thrown to the left. There's also what I refer to as the "Electric Slide," where a receiver will sometimes stop their animation, slide to the ball and then make a jump for a pass. Apart from the visual issues, there are still AI problems, including the lack of tackling in some games. Other times, the number of injuries present, particularly on big name players, feels completely unbalanced and unrealistic. Now while the running game bug that ruined NCAA Football 07 isn't in Madden, the fatigue bug is, which will let anyone play indefinitely without the effects of exhaustion. Something like this should've been fixed before it was released, but for some reason it still seems to be in the game.

Entering the Feature Draft

Just like the gameplay, the Franchise mode of Madden NFL 07 is pretty much the same as that from last year with some additions, which particularly happens during the off-season. The first one is an expanded set of options as far as the draft is concerned. You'll have the chance to run your top draft picks through your own "mini-combine" with the new scouting system. Just like training camp, where you can improve the statistics of players, you'll be able to see how well prospective players will do in different skills; the better you do, the more information you receive on that player. The other is the addition of two new phases in the off season, raising the total number to 12 steps that you can oversee with your team, hopefully leading them to success. However, if you actually compare the two new steps with last year, you'll note that these new phases are both roster management sections slotted after the retired players phase and the draft. While being able to pick the assistant coach feature from last year is helpful, and you will have the option to designate some athletes with Franchise Player tags now, you'd hope that there'd be a little more this time around. Fortunately, you can sync up your PSP and PS2 games to take your franchise on the go. While you may accidentally copy over your profile on your memory card, and you won't gain any points for Madden Cards, it's an excellent way to take the game on the go.

One new feature is End to End, which lets you turn your PSP vertically to play a mini-game that pits your reaction times against that of a series of defenders. By pressing any one of the four directional buttons, you can spin, duck or jump any tackles. Get the timing down perfectly three times in a row, and you'll earn an impact token that you can use to truck a nearby defender whose timing will be more off than yours. Depending on your score, you'll unlock new teams and music tracks. Another new feature are the level of mini-games. There is a new multi-player competition where you can pick and choose between any one of 19 mini-games to test you luck at. Apart from that, there are three exclusive videos to be found on the disc, including a quick glimpse into everyone's favorite coach, John Madden.

The Verdict

It¿s nice to see a large overhaul of last year¿s game, which was somewhat clunky and full of problems, into a smoother running title. The largest issue is that it seems to have brought along some of the issues from the console version as far as a lack of true innovation. However, it¿s still an extremely solid football title, with only some slight issues that mar the experience.